The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Next, Qin Ya repeated the process, melting and purifying the other medicinal ingredients. These were no ordinary herbs; an incredibly rich medicinal aroma spread out and filled the entire Imperial Palace Plaza, a truly invigorating scent.

Some with insufficient Martial Arts Cultivation even looked blissfully intoxicated by the scent.

Qin Ya took a deep breath and arranged the purified, molten ingredients. Then, with a surge of True Essence, he thrust out his palm. The massive Pill Furnace shot into the air and began to spin. Immediately after, he formed a series of hand seals and slapped them onto the furnace.

A purple Flame enveloped the Pill Furnace. Qin Ya’s hands moved as fast as lightning, continuously tossing all sorts of ingredients into the furnace. He didn’t even look at which herbs he was grabbing; it was as if he were just picking them up and throwing them in at random.

The sight made the assembled Alchemists gasp in shock.

’This is just reckless! One small mistake and the properties of the ingredients inside the Pill Furnace will clash. Catalyzed by the Pill Fire, that would lead to...’

A furnace explosion!

What every Alchemist feared most wasn’t failing to refine a pill, but a furnace explosion.

Failing to refine a pill merely wasted ingredients and effort—nothing major. But a furnace explosion... that could very well cost you your life.

"Does this guy have a death wish?"

"Holy crap, he’s committing suicide."

"That damned madman, what the hell is he thinking?"

The Alchemists’ faces drained of color, their eyes wide with terror. They instinctively backed away, and some even equipped their Protective Profound Soldiers...

After all, Qin Ya wasn’t refining some ordinary elixir. Judging from the quality of those ingredients, if the furnace exploded, the resulting blast would be no laughing matter—it could very well engulf the entire Imperial Palace Plaza...

"Your Majesty, look out!"

WHOOSH...

Experts leaped out from all corners of the Imperial Palace, shielding Nangong Wen and the other Royal Family and Relatives. Their gazes were fixed grimly on Qin Ya. Most of the crowd had no idea what was happening, but after being warned by a few of the more considerate Alchemists, they all understood. Their faces contorted in horror as they scrambled back, wishing they could grow an extra pair of legs.

"Qin Ya, you bastard!"

"Damn it, you can die if you want, but don’t drag us down with you!"

"That son of a bitch..."

Despite the crowd’s gasps, fear, and wariness, Qin Ya’s expression remained unchanged. He gave an indifferent smile, and his hands, far from slowing, actually began to accelerate. They became a blur of afterimages, indiscernible to the naked eye, as he added one ingredient after another into the Pill Furnace.

"Stand down!"

Nangong Wen shot to his feet and bellowed the command. The experts hesitated for a moment before melting back into the shadows, resuming their hidden positions throughout the Imperial Palace.

The Lingyun Marquis said, "Your Majesty, this Qin Ya is just being reckless! I implore Your Majesty to put a stop to this ridiculous farce. This area is extremely dangerous!"

He wore such an anxious expression that anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was genuinely worried for Nangong Wen’s safety. But Nangong Wen merely gave him an indifferent glance and said, "Brother Yun, rest assured. With me here, everything will be fine."

His nonchalant words were filled with the imperious aura of an Emperor.

Time passed. The Pill Furnace continued to spin steadily in the air, showing no signs of instability. On the contrary, the medicinal aroma grew richer and richer, becoming so dense that it caused the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi to fluctuate. Countless Martial Artists who inhaled the scent felt their own True Essence begin to stir restlessly...

"What’s going on? How is it not exploding?"

"Huh. This is beyond strange."

"How... how is he doing this?"

Just then, the Pill Furnace let out a resonant hum, and waves of Pill Qi began to emanate from it. High above, a cloud had quietly begun to form.

"That’s... a Pill Cloud!"

"Am I seeing things? That’s really a Pill Cloud!"

"Move! Get out of my way...!"

The appearance of the Pill Cloud sent countless Alchemists into a frenzy. They shoved aside the spectators before them, their expressions like those of desperate alcoholics who had just laid eyes on a priceless vintage wine. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What the—" A young scion from one of the Noble Families, having been violently shoved aside, was about to lose his temper. But when he turned and saw the crazed expressions on the faces of the Alchemists, he choked back the rest of his words, his heart filled with pure shock.

These Alchemists were all renowned figures in the Imperial Capital, yet here they were, driven to such a frenzy over something. It was unbelievable.

"It’s a Pill Cloud! There’s no mistaking it!"

"Only a Sixth-Grade Elixir or higher can produce a Pill Cloud! That means the pill in that furnace is at least Sixth-Grade! Just how much of a monster is this kid?!"

Qin Ya gave an indifferent smile. His technique was a flurry of unpredictable movements. In the blink of an eye, he had tossed a dozen more ingredients into the Pill Furnace, and the Pill Cloud above grew even denser.

"How is he doing that? He’s not even looking at the ingredients!"

"Look! The Pill Cloud is getting denser and denser!"

"He couldn’t possibly be... using the ’Smell the Medicine’ skill, could he?!"

The moment this was said, the other Alchemists shuddered, struck by a chilling thought.

’Smell the Medicine’ is one of the most basic skills for an Alchemist. However, to accurately distinguish between the scents of so many mixed ingredients, and then precisely retrieve the correct one to toss into the Alchemy Furnace—one could only imagine the difficulty involved.

Not a single one of them could do it.

"Such terrifying perception... such frightening powers of discernment."

"How much self-confidence must this guy have to attempt something like this? The slightest misstep would mean irreversible failure!"

Qin Ya’s movements didn’t slow in the slightest, remaining as smooth as flowing water. The Alchemists, once shocked, were now watching his every move with rapt attention. Before long, they became completely mesmerized, utterly lost in the display, their eyes glazed over in fascination.

"Such a perfectly natural Dao Rhyme..."

"So, Qixi Begonia and Blackheart Cotton can be paired like that."

"A technique like this can actually enhance the fusion of the ingredients’ properties."

The Alchemists had long since been stunned by Qin Ya’s refining methods. Not a trace of their earlier disrespect remained; they were now utterly convinced and full of admiration. They continued to observe his every action, hoping to gain some enlightenment.

Just then, the Pill Cloud abruptly converged to its peak, forming an auspicious cloud that hovered over the Imperial Palace. Along with it, waves of medicinal aroma billowed out from the palace, gradually spreading across the entire Imperial Capital...

Everyone involuntarily cast their gaze toward the sky above the Imperial Palace!

"Hey, what’s that incredible smell?"

"After smelling it, I feel like my whole body is filled with energy!"

"My legs... My rheumatism of so many years is suddenly gone!"

"What a miraculous scent! I heard Qin Ya, the Advanced Academy Teacher from Mingxin Academy, is refining a Divine Pill at the Imperial Palace. This aura... it must mean the Divine Pill is about to be born!"

In an instant, the entire Imperial Capital erupted!

Some, believing it to be a divine miracle, even dropped to their knees on the spot to kowtow in worship!

Back in the Imperial Palace Plaza, gasps of astonishment rose and fell as countless people stared in horror. Such a phenomenon was utterly unheard of, absolutely shocking!

"What’s happening? Why is there such a strange phenomenon?"

"Isn’t he just refining a pill? How can it cause such a huge commotion?"

"Could it be... has that guy really refined a Seventh-Grade Elixir?"

A Seventh-Grade Elixir had only appeared a few times in the entire history of the Yunxiao Empire. Naturally, most people had no idea what such a phenomenon signified.

But while the common people didn’t know, how could the Alchemists not?

The group of Alchemists all stood there stupefied, their eyes filled with utter terror.

Liu Qing took a deep breath and said in a trembling, shocked voice, "When the pill is complete, clouds gather, and its fragrance spreads for miles... This... this is a Seventh-Grade Elixir!"